There's something wrong with Phoebe

1 - Phoebe

I rose slowly and stretched out. I tapped lightly on the bottom of the above bunk to check if Lily was awake yet. She tapped back and I crawled out of bed, grabbing hold of the edge of her bunk and swinging myself upward and onto her lower legs. She yelped quietly before reclining her legs up to her chest and raising her eyebrows in an unimpressed manner. “Every day I regret saying I would swap to the top bunk for a year,” she said, and I rolled my eyes.

“Today’s the day,” I said, tracing my index finger over the indents in the side of her bunk where we’d etched our names a few years ago. She nodded.

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Yes,” I said, nodding firmly. “I’m going to miss everyone though.”

“It won’t be long before we all meet again.”

“That’s what we said when Tracey left last year.”

“I don’t think she made much impact. She was pretty useless at everything.”

“I suppose. They let her out too early if you ask me. I bet she chickened out. Never was very eager to do the job.”

“Missed her mummy too much,” said Lily in a mocking tone which made me laugh. “I’m going to miss your laugh.” I grimaced.

“I’ll laugh louder than the breakfast siren sounds when we’re asleep, when our mission is complete. Speaking of…” At that moment, the loud siren went off sending everybody still asleep a metre up into the air as they scrambled around in their beds. Lily and I had somehow managed to get our body clocks to wake us before the siren did. We scuttled out of Lily’s bunk and down the steps and out our door, down the hallway packed with moaning children, scratching their heads or yawning. Me and Lily pushed past, laughing at people’s shocked faces as they were bashed into the walls of the thin corridor, and we arrived at the breakfast queue first. We grabbed our cooked breakfast and sat in the furthest corner of the room, munching away. Soon, the breakfast hall was filled with noise and conversation and the clatter of cutlery on plates. Then, when me and Lily were almost finished, Jack came into the room. We all stood up immediately, like a switch had gone off in our heads. He walked in to silence but for two little kids who were only around six and seven who continued to talk, getting quieter as they realised nobody else was talking, and standing when the mistake they had made dawned on them.

We all waited to see how Jack would react, and when Jack smiled, everybody laughed awkwardly as the two girls turned bright red. “Now then,” he said, licking his lips. “We lose another today.” Everybody turned to face my direction with sad faces. “It’s been a great six years with Phoebe. She’s worked hard, played hard and been a great addition to our team. However, her services are now required elsewhere. I’m sure we will see her soon anyway. So everybody raise your…juice cartons! To Phoebe!” Everybody, grinning from ear to ear, picked up their carton of orange and apple juice and chorused, “To Phoebe!” before sucking, most of the cartons being empty so there was the sound of air hitting nothingness inside which made me laugh. Everybody started talking again and Jack gestured me over to him.

“Ready to go?” I turned quickly to Lily. She ran over and hugged me tight before I turned back to Jack and nodded.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, taking my hand. “Let’s get you dressed appropriately. And you remember your story right?”

“I’ve been learning and reciting it for a year. How could I forget?”